Nicky Daley VS The World
by TylantisMax
Summary: Who is Nicky Daley? Not your average 16 year old. I mean, what 16 year old hangs out with walking and talking museum exhibits? Join Nicky and his friends as he tries to discover who he really is.
1. Back to the Museum

**A/N: Trigger Warning for one homophobic slur and mentions of bullying.**

**(Nicky's POV)**

"We will talk about this later."

I sighed in frustration as my Dad walked off, annoyance emanating from his demeanor. We both needed space, that was for certain. The exhibits stared as I kept my head in my hands.

"God damn it..."

My Dad was a night guard here at the Museum of Natural History, and was getting on my case about college. I was still an underclassmen, but he wanted to plan beforehand. I only wanted him to give me a break.

The tug of my pant leg pulled me out of my thinkings. I looked down to find a smiling monkey trying to draw my attention. He let out a sound of happiness.

"Dexter! Hey dude." I brought back the grin. "I'm all right, don't worry."

He made a noise that sounded skeptical, and his smile melted.

"I swear I'm okay." I reassured the capuchin. "Larry just doesn't agree with me."

He nodded at me and left me with my thoughts once more. I pulled my beanie off and attempted to control my breathing. Dad being upset always bothered me. It brought me and the entire museum down.

I mean college isn't even that important right now. I still had two years before I graduated! At the moment, I only needed to focus on getting through the day without being pummeled.

I softly touched my cheek and saw the makeup on my fingertips. I was silently thankful I had female friends, because I'd never be able to keep this a secret. 'Faggot', they called me, while the others punched and kicked me. It wasn't exactly fun, truly. Ever since I began high school, things have been harder. I didn't come to the museum as often, I wasn't as happy, and my friends turned their backs on me. I was "too gay" and I would embarrass them, purportedly. The hyper little child I used to be just... vanished.

Shaking my head, I stood up and put my beanie back on. I stuck my hands in my pockets and headed towards the 'Hall of Minatures'. Jedediah and Octavius could cheer me up.

Maybe.


	2. Doctor Ahk

**(Nicky's POV)**

"Nick!"

_God, what now?_

I was on my way to the Hall of Miniatures when I heard my name called out. I turned around to see Ahkmenrah coming towards me. For a moment I tensed up, but relaxed upon seeing him smiling. Ahkmenrah was like my brother. He was always there to look out for me.

"Hey Ahk," I said, somewhat shy. I didn't feel like being interrogated about the argument anymore. He wasn't an idiot, though. Ahkmenrah could read me like a record.

"Are you alright, Nicky?" He asked, concern floating in his optics. "You look upset."

I sat on a bench nearby, and Ahkmenrah joined me. "Everyone keeps asking me that. I'm fine, Ahk." I tugged my jacket sleeves in anxiety.

He turned to confront me. "I don't only mean about what occurred. You've been different lately."

I faced away from Ahk. So people were noticing. Perhaps even my Dad. I wasn't exactly a good liar. I tried to bottle things up, but it always got out in some manner. The abuse from school was one of the few things I actually managed to obscure.

"Nicky, we're all worried." Ahkmenrah placed a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to console me. It didn't work, and I shrugged it away.

"Nicky, please talk to me." Ahk tried again, but to no purpose. I was completely closed off. The wall was up yet again, and I remained mum.

"We're here for you, Nicky." He stated, standing up.

I didn't respond, but the final thing he said stayed with me.

_"We're your family."_


	3. Sticks And Stoners

**A/N: Trigger Warning for graphic violence, swearing, homophobic slurs, and bullying.**

**(****Nicky's ****POV)**

"Daley!"

_Oh no. Just ignore him, he'll lay off. _

"Hey Daley, I'm talking to you!"

_Shit. _

A firm hand grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around. I avoided his eyes, and he stomped hard on my foot, forcing me to look at him. Inwardly, I groaned.

"Hey Tyler..." I said, no trace of eagerness in my spirit. He rolled his eyes at my attitude and roughly punched my shoulder.

"At least act happy to see me, fairy." He spat.

_Fairy. _

I recoiled at the word. It sounded worse in his deep and gravelly voice. Almost like venom.

"I'm not a fairy." I denied, turning to face my locker.

_"_Of course you are, Daley." He shoved past me, effectively blocking my locker. Tyler smirked again. I really wanted to hit him.

"Can you please move? I have more serious things to do than deal with children like you."

I immediately regretted that last bit.

The next thing I knew, I was being pinned against the lockers, and getting a death stare from Tyler.

_Smart move, Nicky. _

"L-Listen Tyler!" I stuttered, panicking. "I don't want to fight you, just stop-"

He cut me off with a hard punch to the gut, and I groaned in pain.

_Oh fuck. _

"Shut the hell up, Daley." Tyler ordered, delivering another blow to my abdomen. "Don't be a sassy ass. It won't get you anywhere."

He dismissed me, and I fell hard to the ground, clutching my stomach. There was a fire burning inside me.

"Fuck you." I spat, venom heavy in my voice.

_NICKY. SHUT UP. _

Tyler turned around and walked back over to me.

_Now you're going to get it. _

He paused for a second, and then withdrew his foot back. I braced myself for the impact, but it never arrived.

Rather, he kneeled down and looked me in the eyes.

"Watch your mouth, _faggot_."

The impact of that was worse than any physical damage he ever did.


	4. Liar, Liar, Pain Like Fire

**A/N: Trigger Warning for brief swearing.**

**(Nicky's POV)**

A wave of relief crashed on to me as I went into the museum. I could finally come away from that bullshit at school.

Thank God.

That relief ended as soon as I saw my Dad. The argument had only happened yesterday, but I had yet to speak to him about it.

"Hey Nicky." He began, laying a hand on my shoulder. I quickly looked away.

"Hey Dad..." I replied, averting his eyes. God, I was such a chicken.

"Nicky, I'm sorry I shouted at you yesterday." He apologized while attempting to get me to look at him. "I'm only looking out for you, y'know?"

I nodded wordlessly, not finding the strength to talk. He frowned.

"C'mon Nicky, say something. Don't leave your old man hanging." He tried.

I forced a faint smile. "Don't worry about it, Dad. No big deal."

That made him grin in return. "Okay. Good." He patted me a bit too hard on the back, and I recoiled. My Dad saw this and his happy expression turned to worry.

"You okay?" He asked, looking me over.

"I'm okay, I just fell in P.E." I lied. He nodded and left it at that.

My injuries grew more painful as the night proceeded on.

I was hanging out with Jedediah and Octavius, watching cat videos. Rexy came plowing through the room and his tail swung to the left, nailing me in the gut. Hard.

"Fuck!"

I hunched over in pain, my abdomen still sore from earlier. Tears threatened to come, but I fought them back.

Octavius immediately ran to my position. "Nicky? Are you well?"

I nodded weakly, pain still coursing through me.

"Really? I mean, you sure as hell don't look like it." Jedediah said, stating the obvious. His eyes were wide with concern.

_C'mon Nicky, think of something!_

"My friends and I were just roughhousing today." I lied. "I'm good."

Octavius and Jed gave each other sideways glances.

_You're a terrible liar. _

"Alright Nick, if you say so..." Octavius said, seeming slightly skeptical of my words.

I nodded again, and we carried on watching some cats chasing lasers.

I wanted to let the cat out of the bag to someone badly, but I knew I couldn't. Boys will be boys, they would most likely say. It's not like anyone would really care. Perhaps they would. I mean, Jed and Octavius _don't need to know about this. _

_C'mon Nicky. _

_You can't keep a secret forever. _


	5. Therapy

**A/N: Trigger warning for very brief language, slurs, bullying, and thoughts of suicide.**

**(Nick's POV) **

_Arrogant boy, make a scene like you're supposed to..._

Tears poured down my cheeks as I held my head in my hands. Tightly, I drove and pulled on my hair. Clumps of it were scattered round my tiny Subaru. The depressing punk song wafted through the breeze, not being able to hide my loud sobs. At last, I came to a stop at the museum while the rain pounded hard on my windshield.

_They're better off without you..._

Were they? Maybe everyone- Larry, Ahkmenrah, Jedediah, and Octavius would be better off if I wasn't in their lives. Another sob escaped my lips as the thought processed through my intellect.

Who knew I could put on such a display. Even so, nobody had taken notice, not even Ahkmenrah who was 110% protective of me.

_C'mon Nicky. Better get inside before they notice something's up. _

I turned the engine off and was about to get out when my phone buzzed. Drawing it out, I clicked on the screen to see a text from an unknown number.

_Go kill yourself, faggot_.

Another just like that came a couple seconds afterward. And another. And another.

The waterworks started once again, and the sobs continued. Angrily, I punched the horn and locked my phone. I got out of the tiny car and slammed the door.

The rain immediately began soaking me from head to toe, making me tremble.

They were probably right.

Maybe I should just...

_Nick, stop_.

Pushing aside my thoughts, I headed inside.

_Nobody cared anyway. _

* * *

As I stepped in, I got wide eyes from everyone I passed, Jedediah and Octavius included. Ignoring their stares, I headed to Ahkmenrah's tomb. The crying had stopped but I still felt sick to my stomach.

Finally, I reached Ahkmenrah's tomb, but stopped before going in. I steadied my breathing, and wiped any leftover tears away. After a few minutes, I went into the tomb. Ahkmenrah was sitting on his sarcophagus, and I threw him a plastic smile.

"Hey Ahk, what's up?"

The Pharoh's small grin quickly turned into a look of dismay.

I canted my head in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Ahk immediately stood up. "Nick, what happened?!"

"What are you talking about?"

His fingers softly touched my right cheek.

It finally hit me.

_Oh no. _

_**"The huge bruise on your eye."**_

**A/N: The song used is "Therapy" by All Time Low **


	6. Society Norms Suck Ass

**A/N: This chapter has a fuck ton of swearing.**

**(Nick's POV)**

My hand immediately shot to my cheek and I slapped Ahk's hand away. I had the damn thing covered! How the hell did he-

My thoughts came to a halt when I felt dampness on my face. I tore my hand away to see makeup smudged on the fingertips.

The rain. That's what it must've been! It probably washed the foundation off when I was racing inside. It's probably why everyone was staring at me.

That last thought made me queasy, and I took some deep breaths to calm myself. _Everyone had seen it_. I could feel the entire museum judging me, right down to the lions.

Ahk placed his hand on my back in an attempt to console me. He probably recognized this was difficult to deal with, whatever he believed happened. I tugged at my hair in anxiety, and more clumps fell to the floor.

Ahk moved his hand to remain on my clenched fists. "Nick, please calm down." I looked at him and saw that his eyes were full of genuine care.

_He's right, Nick. Don't stress him out more by flipping out. _

Obediently, I stopped pulling on my hair and simply stared at my black and blue vans in silence.

After 15 minutes, I burst the silence and turned to face Ahkmenrah. "Please don't tell my Dad!" I begged in one quick breath.

He went bug eyed at this. "Nick if someone is hurting you, I cannot let it continue."

"Ahk, please! He'll freak out!" I pleaded, throwing him the biggest puppy dog eyes. "If he finds out why-"

"Hold on. Tell me _what_ happened first." Ahkmenrah interrupted, holding up a finger to shush me. "Who did this to you?"

I stood up and sighed. "Some junior from my school. His name is Tyler." I started pacing back and forth, hands on my hips. "He's been doing this for nearly a year now. The douchebag never told me why, but I figured it out on my own."

Ahk sat up. "Why? Did you make him mad or anything like that?" He seemed curious, but alarmed.

I stopped short, my back facing away from the Pharaoh. Maybe I should tell him now. Maybe not.

_You need to open up about these things, Nick. _

Who even knew if it was true, though? Shit, I wasn't even sure myself.

"Nick?" Ahkmenrah asked, breaking me out of my thinkings.

_C'mon Nick, just tell him._

I rolled my eyes at myself and turned to face Ahk. "You can't say anything, okay?"

"Nick, I already told you-"

"No, not about this!" I pointed at my injured eye. "I mean, you can't tell anyone about _why_ he is doing it. I don't want people knowing."

_Yet_.

Ahk nodded, clearly realizing what I meant. "Your private life is yours."

"Thanks." I responded, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I felt my palms become sweaty, and I swallowed hard. Why was I so fucking nervous? It really wasn't a big deal.

I managed to stabilize myself, and looked straight at Ahkmenrah.

_Here we go. _

"Ahk... I'm gay." I confessed, waiting patiently for his reaction.

Ahkmenrah had a blank expression. He didn't seem fazed at all. "What's wrong with being gay?"

I certainly wasn't anticipating this response. "Nothing! I just..." I paused, trying to figure out how to place it. "Everyone hates me for it..." I faced away from him, a wave of shame washing over me.

I could feel Ahk's gaze burning into my head. "Everyone thinks I'm a fucking queer. My Dad doesn't even know and frankly, I'm terrified of him finding out the truth."

I continued on. "I've heard people say '**_The Truth Will Set You Free_**'. What a load of bullshit. The truth just ties you down like a prisoner, until you're on the floor, bleeding and crying for some help. The 'truth' is only satisfactory when it's a _fucking society norm_."

The Pharaoh just stared at me in shock. His mouth hung open, not bearing the slightest idea of what to say to something like that.

I glared at Ahkmenrah from the corner of my eye. "Don't act surprised. Everyone knew I wouldn't be that adorable little brat forever. We all lose our fucking innocence at some point."

"Nick... I really think you should speak to someone." Ahk advised. "Look at yourself. You've lost hope in everyone. Even us."

My head snapped in his direction. "That's not even close to the truth." I glared at him once more.

"How many months?"

"What?"

"How many months was it that you barely spoke to anyone? Even me?" Ahkmenrah gave me a severe look.

The silence was profound, even suffocating for the next 20 minutes.

"Five and a half."

"What?" Ahk spoke, confused.

"I didn't speak to any of you for five and a half months." I said, answering his question from before.

Another silence fell over us.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Tell who?" I questioned Ahkmenrah.

"Your Dad."

"I'm not." I said loud and clear. "Not yet."

Ahk stood up promptly. "You can't sustain this from him forever, Nick."

"I won't. I promise." I told him, fidgeting with my nails once more. I smiled at Ahk.

I truly was scared of what my Dad would say. I just want to feel like I belong for once.

_"I just want to be ready."_

**A/N: You guys get a special chapter since I got a detention today! **


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